Our troop’s robotics team was featured in a special video at the Girl Scouts of Greater New York Gala at Cipriani on Monday evening! Several of the Girl Scouts on the team attended the Gala and showcased the robot and their project. We hope you enjoy the video and if you see the Tech Hoppers around the island - encourage them to keep coding!

The Tech Hoppers would like to express our sincere appreciation to Cornell Tech and Girl Scouts of Greater New York for their generous support of Roosevelt Island’s Girl Scout Troop 3001’s FIRST Lego League Robotics team this season! Their support has helped these girls have an amazing STEM experience this year! They earned third place overall in the qualifiers and won an award for their creative presentation made by the team about their innovative solution to solving the problem of Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) - which gave them a spot in the NY Citywide finals!

Cornell Tech provided an amazing motivational workspace for the girls at the Maker’s Lab at Cornell Tech. often there were Cornell grad students there working on projects at the same time - and the Girl Scouts were inspired by hearing about their cool high tech projects. They printed Cornell Tech and Girl-Scout inspired sweatshirts for the girls and helped them design and make their own light-up “Grace Hopper” headbands and hosted a fun tech end of the year celebration/party! Cornell Tech also generously sponsored Lego missions and robot supplies such as extra sensors to help the girls to build an amazing robot and program it to achieve its missions.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Diane Levitt, Senior Director of K-12 Education for Cornell Tech - she sacrificed her Wednesday evenings from September to March to support our team, allowing them to meet in the Maker Lab. She also led many awesome STEM learning activities and found incredibly patient student mentors for our budding engineers.

Jivesh Tolani, an MBA student at Cornell Tech, mentored the girls weekly since September - teaching not only our girls to code their robot to solve missions, but also mentoring other Girl Scout robotics teams in other parts of NYC. His dedication to the team was so appreciated.

Thanks to Niti Parikh, director of the MakerLAB, who let us use the lab all semester and leave our large table with lego missions in the middle of the lab all season!

Falana Ash joined us in the MakerLab when Diane wasn’t available and did the ordering of supplies and sweatshirts to make sure we had everything we needed for the girls to do their best.

Technologist in Residence Benedetta Simeonidis and David Gibbs, taught the girls about circuits and helped them make light- up Grace Hopper hats.

Cornell students and staff helped the girls further develop their idea for a new type of rainwater harvesting tank - and prepare a “Shark Tank” style presentation for the Global Innovation Award.

Steve Noone from the Cornell Tech capital planning team walked the girls around the campus and explained how the campus was built to manage water - inspiring the girls to come up with a solution to help solve the problem of Combined Sewer Overflow.

Gallery RIVAA is pleased to invite you to the opening reception of 'SIGHTS & SOUNDS OF ART' - A unique visual art and sound exhibition by NYC HH | Coler Residents, on Saturday, May 5th from 4 to 6pm @Gallery RIVAA.

The exhibition is curated by Jovemay Santos and is sponsored by Angelica Patient Assistance Program & Therapeutic Recreation Services.

Thursday, May 3, 2018

... There was a fire this afternoon on the 9th floor of 10 River Road at the Manhattan Park residential complex on Main Street on Roosevelt Island at 5:30 p.m.

Some 25 FDNY and NYPD emergency vehicles responded to the incident. The cause of the fire appears to be electrical.

There were no reported injuries in the apartment nor in the rest of the building. The tenant was not home at the time of the fire, however there was a cat in the apartment that died due to apparent smoke inhalation, said Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation Public Safety Director Jack McManus....

Brittney Gates was moving into the Manhattan Park apartment that caught fire that day with her children. Ms Gates reports:

I saw the article on the Manhattan Park fire - that was my home. I’m a single mother of 3, and I was moving in that day. The movers and I had just finished moving all of our belongings, and I was able to let our pet cat out of his cage and roam free. I left the apartment to pick my kids up in Queens (hadn’t unpacked anything, hadn’t plugged anything in, hadn’t used a single appliance).

An hour and a half later, I was driving over the RI bridge, when traffic stopped. 15 or more emergency vehicles rushed by. 10 minutes later, my property manager called and told me there was a smoke condition in my apartment, and to please see him when I arrived at the building.

It was the worst evening of my life - nothing was salvageable - we lost all of our furniture and boxes of clothes and dishes and pictures and documents. And most importantly, our dear pet cat (whose name is Cat). The firemen held onto his body, and put him in a box. My kids and I had him cremated on Sunday.

I have a good job, but I also have three kids and many bills, and am starting over from scratch. Would you be willing to share my gofundme page, to help gather funds to purchase furniture and clothes and food and household items for me and my kids? It would be greatly appreciated....

On the evening of April 27, 2018, Brittney Gates, a single mother of three and army veteran, lost all her worldly possessions, including her beloved cat ("Cat") in an apartment fire. Just hours earlier, she had moved into this very apartment on Roosevelt Island. What was supposed to be a joyous day, marking a new beginning in a new home for Brittney and her family, turned to a horrific tragedy.

Brittney is a courageous, self-reliant woman, who is not quick to ask for help. This is not about her asking for help but about us coming together to focus on solutions so that she and her children can rebuild their lives.

No words can help heal broken hearts in a tragedy like this, but our joint efforts can! While no amount of money can compensate for the loss of her family member, “Cat”, it can help her to kick off a new beginning for her family....

Ms Gates adds:

The property managers have found a vacant 2 bedroom apartment in a different MP building that they are letting us move into today

After observing a decline in Tram revenue during the months of platform repair last year which limited service to one cabin; and then noticing no discernable increase upon the resumption of two Tram cabins in 2018, Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) officials wondered, “how come?”

Part of the explanation: fare evasion.

After meetings with RIOC Public Safety Department Chief Jack McManus and Deputy Chief Kevin Brown, RIOC President Susan Rosenthal announced Wednesday that all Tram would first be warned by PSD officers, and new posted signs, that fare beating is a Class A misdemeanor (under New York Penal Code 165.15 sub 03). Those who fail to comply, and attempt to ride without paying the $2.75 fare, will be issued a summons, she said.

Reduced rates of $1.30 are available for seniors, students and the disabled and can be obtained through the NYC Metropolitan Transit Authority website.

Rosenthal said PSD officers would be stationed at the location 12 hours-a-day beginning at 7 a.m. and 24-hour video surveillance would be re-activated and monitored for scofflaws.

“The Tram costs a lot of money to maintain and it is unacceptable for people to openly do this,” she said.

Reduced rates of $1.30 are available for seniors, students and the disabled and can be obtained through the NYC Metropolitan Transit Authority website.

Constructed during a two year period for $6.8 million, the Tram first opened May 17, 1976; and was modernized in 2010 at the cost of $25 million. Service warranties on that new equipment have now expired and RIOC is paying for Tram maintenance, from sub-contractor Leitner-Pomo of America, at full cost.

I asked Mr. Robertson:

Can I get the numbers that show reduction of tram income.

Also I saw a kid about 6-7 years old with parent who slipped under turnstyle.

Do children Under a certain age get in free?

Mr. Robertson replied:

Children under 44 inches tall don’t have to pay; everyone else taller does.

We don’t have a definitive amount for the lost income due only to fare evaders as we can’t accurately estimate how many 2017 Tram riders who left during platform construction, to use the train, bus or ferry, never came back in 2018.

However we have been physically observing fare-beaters at RI Tram Station for a period of time now to accurately say this is a serious problem.

From April—September, Four Freedoms Park Conservancy offers free public tours of FDR Four Freedoms State Park. Led by Conservancy Guides, tours explore the Park’s unique history as a monument to a person, a place, and an idea, as well as the legacies of President Roosevelt and architect Louis Kahn.

Tours investigate FDR’s life and legacy and the impact of his Four Freedoms speech, as well as the design philosophy and work of modernist architect Louis Kahn and issues surrounding public memorialization. Tours also provide insight into the history of the memorial, more than 40 years in the making, as well as the Conservancy’s mission and programming, while providing visitors with a better understanding of this special public space in New York City.

Tours are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and are approximately 30 minutes long. Weather-permitting, tours are offered Thursday-Sunday at 12:30pm and 3pm. Tour schedule is subject to change; call 212-204-8831 for more details.

Now it's easier than ever to get to Four Freedoms Park thanks to @NYCferry, as discussed in their fantastic write up about the Park! Simply take the ferry's Astoria route to Roosevelt Island. Come enjoy this spring weather in our beautiful outdoor space! https://t.co/nMSoDiOhUI

The mission of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) is to work tirelessly to prevent and cure ovarian cancer, and to improve the quality of life for survivors. Founded in 1995, the NOCC is the first and only national ovarian cancer organization with a network of local chapters throughout the country. The NOCC’s Run/Walk to Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer®, put on by local chapters, serves to increase awareness, honor those affected by ovarian cancer, and raise funds to support our local and national initiatives. .

The NOCC’s New York City Chapter will be hosting its 1st annual Run/Walk to Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer on Saturday, May 19th at Firefighter’s Field on Roosevelt Island. The organization’s signature event, held in 20 locations across the United States each year, helps to fund its programs for earlier awareness, quality of life, community outreach, and research initiatives. With 1 in 75 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and no early detection test for the disease, the NOCC aims to create awareness through the event by educating the general public on the early signs and symptoms.

“This year we have a new theme for our event, ‘Together in Teal,’ which captures our commitment to raise awareness of ovarian cancer,” states Melissa Aucoin, Director of National Events and Operations of the NOCC. “Funds raised through our signature Run/Walk event directly support our local programs, research initiatives, and earlier awareness outreach.”

The event also centers on honoring ovarian cancer Survivors, remembering those lost to the disease, and empowering the community with knowledge. We invite you to join the nearly 500 expected participants at the New York City event by going to runwalk.ovarian.org/newyorkcity. To learn more about ovarian cancer, visit us at ovarian.org or connect with us via social media.

We are aware of the issue at the perimeter of Octagon Field. We will have a crew there tomorrow to correct the situation.

We will be awarding an RFP shortly for a contractor to build a bathroom/comfort station there as well as to replace the existing artificial turf, better LED lighting and make other needed structural improvements to that entire field area. That work is now slated to begin this fall after this summer sports season December 1.

UPDATE 5/1:

So until then 22 lights will remain broken leaving only 8 working? Assuming the field is available at a discount rate? To be fair the lights have been broken for a while.

The repairs to the existing lighting system is happening now. I know that an electrician is there fixing some wiring issues, half are already back on. The brand new LED light lamps is what’s going to get installed with the entire field renovation package to start on Dec. 1.

The medical needs of this 2 mile long historic island on the East River is a perfect landscape for our services.

RIUC is the first health care facility on the Island. Currently local residents must travel to either Manhattan or Astoria, for treatment—a trip that requires the use of a tram, subway, bus or car. Our facility in essence created a full-service medical center for a growing population of 15,000. RIUC is here to serve your needs.

These needs will increase in the near future with the addition of new multi-family developments and the new Cornell NYC Tech campus, which is under construction and due to open this year. The University is relying on our center to tend to the medical needs of the students and faculty. Roosevelt Island Urgent Care is also well positioned to provide services to the many construction workers who are on the Island during the next few years.

Sunday, April 29, 2018

The Michael Stoler Real Estate interview program focused on Roosevelt Island, primarily the Cornell Tech development but also a bit on Main Street retail and the new Riverewalk construction coming soon.

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WELCOME TO ROOSEVELT ISLAND

Welcome to the Roosevelt Islander Online!

Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.

The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.